Acceptance Quote by C. S. Lewis
“Chronological snobbery is the uncritical acceptance of the intellectual climate common to our own age and the assumption that whatever has gone out of date is on that account discredited. You must find why it went out of date. Was it ever refuted (and if so by whom, where, and how conclusively), or did it merely die away as fashions do? If the latter, this tells us nothing about its truth or falsehood.”
About This Quote
Source Book: The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis, 1942
Chronological snobbery is accepting ideas just because they are current, without questioning why older ideas fell out of favor.
In simple terms: Accepting ideas only because they are modern is uncritical.
Key Takeaway
Question the relevance of ideas, not just their age.
Themes
critical thinking
historical perspective
intellectual humility
Mood
reflective
inquisitive
Type
analytical
philosophical
When to use this quote
- academic research
- policy analysis
- personal belief evaluation
Key Concepts
skepticism
philosophy of science
cultural relativism
Questions to Reflect On
- What criteria do you use to evaluate an idea's validity?
- How can you avoid bias toward contemporary thinking?
A Different Perspective
Older ideas may still hold truth despite being out of fashion.
